Shakespeare in Love

The best part of this movie is not the inevitable love story between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps, but the many references to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and later works. Everything about this film is a mixture of the tragedy and comedy that filled Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. Even the smaller roles, such as Ned Alleyen (Ben Affleck) who always wants to be the leading role, stood out about the rest. Every character was both comic and tragic at some point or another. Overall a brilliant film and definitely deserving of the seven Oscars it won, including Best Picture.

QUICKIES

"I know something of a woman in a man's profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that."- Judy Dench (Queen Elizabeth)

"The show must...you know..."- Geoffrey Rush (Philip Henslowe)

"[urging him] Go on..."- Joseph Fiennes (William Shakespeare)

"This is not life Will. It's a stolen season."- Gwyneth Paltrow (Viola De Lesseps)

"You see— comedy. Love with a bit of a dog. That's what they want."- Geoffrey Rush (Philip Henslowe)

"I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... over-throws life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture. Love - like there has never been in a play."- Gwyneth Paltrow (Viola De Lesseps)

"I have never undressed a man before."- Gwyneth Paltrow (Viola De Lesseps)

"It is strange to me too."- Joseph Fiennes (William Shakespeare)

"Write me well."- Gwyneth Paltrow (Viola De Lesseps)

When Scenes

In the beginning of the movie, when Henslowe asks Will if he has been working on his play, and William Shakespeare answers "Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move" he is quoting from Hamlet (Act II Scene 2). The lines are from a letter he wrote to Ophelia while pretending to have gone mad, and are followed by "Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love."

About six years before the film was finally made, Julia Roberts was cast as Viola and flew to the UK to try to persuade Daniel Day-Lewis to take the part, but he declined in order to do In the Name of the Father (1993), so Universal Studios dropped the project when no suitable alternative was found. Joseph Fiennes was the only actor ever actually cast in the lead role.

Kate Winslet turned down the role after her 1997 success in Titanic.

Will is shown signing a paper, with six illegible signatures visible. Several versions of Shakespeare's signature exist, all of which are different. This has led to debate about whether William Shakespeare may actually have been illiterate.

Ben Affleck took the part in this film to be near then-girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow.